Say hello to Samsung's first internal Blu-ray combo drive for PCs, while the SH-B083 isn't a super fast writer like some of its classmates, it does feature 8x BD-R and BD-ROM read speeds. Also a capable 40x / 16x CD / DVD burner, if all you want to do is watch movies, this should be a considerably cheaper option to the Pioneer BDR-205 12x burner or other 8x recordable drives when it hits shelves (specifically Amazon and Newegg) in November, though exact date and price remain unspecified. Plus, it has that "chic mirror front door design" we can't believe we've lived without for so long, making the 350ms access speed a mere afterthought. This could fit nicely inside that new C-200, right? Specs follow after the break.

It's not that surprising to learn Best Buy will be among those delivering a 1080p LCD with Blu-ray disc player packed in under its Insignia store brand, as we've been expecting rebadged units from overseas to hit the value market for some time. Marked "coming soon" at $599, it's easily a few hundred less than a comparable model from Sharp, but buyers will have to live without some of the newer line items like 120Hz motion processing and a contrast ratio higher than 20,000:1. Though we don't expect a lot in terms of load times, audio support or other features (no specs on the Blu-ray player noted) we're sure a bedroom or dorm room somewhere will find a spot for the NS-LBD32X. Your move, Wal-mart.

[Thanks, Zach]

After being "bombarded by inquiries" about integration the first lucky dance partner for VUDU as a service is Entone, maker of IPTV set-top boxes. Entone's CEO is a little over the top in describing the VUDU + (whatever service provider is first to offer this combo) as the first time two competing visions come together in one unified service (Amazon VOD + TiVo, Xbox 360 + Netflix, we could go on) but it would be an original twist for customers to get the box directly from their TV operator. Expected to launch this summer, it could get VUDU's HD and HDX movies into customers homes without dropping $149 on a single use additional box, but until one of Entone's 50+ telco carriers actually opts for the service it's all just a (good) idea.

With the PS3 not quite the slam-dunk Blu-ray player choice it once was for many due to cheaper competition, Sony's new strategy to move units will include hybrid game / movie releases. Citing a significant sales bump with The Dark Knight release, director of hardware marketing John Koller told Video Business that we can expect to see as many as two or three releases here this year. Of course, we can just imagine the reaction when (insert high profile release here) packs a demo for the game tie-in instead of a lossless audio soundtrack or other extras, but otherwise we'll have to wait and see what positive effect this has for the movie or gaming crowds.

Looking across JVC's CES 2009 product line, it's apparent that Blu-ray isn't for everybody just yet. For folks with plenty of DVDs left to watch, the 19-inch LT-19D200 or 32-inch LT-32D200 LCD TV-DVD combos might be great for a second set in the home. Don't be turned off by the lack of 1080p resolution on these models -- at these sizes, you won't notice the difference at reasonable viewing distances. Still, we've got to wonder about the choice of marketing a product with the "inferior" 720p spec number to a casual audience; but there's also no pricing info on these new models. Hopefully the planned March release gives JVC some time to firm the marketing details up.

Barely a month after Mitsubishi launched its iSP 149 series of LCD HDTVs, the company is trotting out three new lineups over in Japan. The higher-end MZW series includes the 46-inch LCD-46MZW200 (¥400,000; $3,643) and 40-inch LCD-40MZW200 (¥300,000; $2,732), both of which pack a 1080p 10-bit Diamond panel, 120Hz technology and an October 21st release date. For those with tighter spaces (and smaller budgets), the MX / MXW series spans from 19- (¥100,000; $910) to 42-inches (¥280,000; $2,550), with the most expensive sets offering a Full HD display and the lesser ones topping out at 1,366 x 768. Oh, and it looks as if Funai won't be the only one delivering a Blu-ray / LCD combo, as Mitsu's already working up a concept. Peruse the links below for all the machine translated nitty-gritty.

[Via Impress]

Read - MZW series
Read - MX / MXW series
Read - Blu-ray / LCD combo concept

When Westinghouse launched its 40-inch LCD HDTV / DVD combo unit earlier this year, we really began to think of just how nice it'd be to broaden Blu-ray's appeal by shoving a drive into a new set for those looking for simplicity. Enter Funai -- the company currently responsible for the lowest priced standalone BD deck on the market -- which is reportedly aiming to loose an LCD HDTV with built-in Blu-ray player on the North American market next summer. The company typically brands its wares with names like Sylvania, Symphonic and Emerson, so we wouldn't expect the highest-end stuff here. That said, we're glad to see someone taking this very necessary step, even though you won't catch us recommending 'em to anyone but the technologically challenged. [Warning: read link requires subscription]

[Via CrunchGear]

Here it is, BD-UP5000 owners -- the file you've been waiting for. If you were somewhat underwhelmed by the fixes in firmware v1.2, you'll probably be a-okay with what v1.3 is packin'. Released today, this update takes the combo player to Profile 1.1, adds in "HD audio bit-stream output" and "improves playback compatibility in some movies." 'Nuff said, right? Hit the read link to get that download rolling, and do let us know how wonderful your life becomes when it finishes installing.

[Thanks, Harmin]

While Samsung's BD-UP5000 still shows as unavailable until next month over at Amazon, it appears that the combo player is nevertheless leaking into select big box retail locations. Currently, the unit is out of stock online at both Circuit City and Best Buy, but a quick zip code check revealed that it was actually in stock and begging for an owner in select New York, Texas and New Mexico locations (just to name a few). Of course, it looks as though CC is charging a whopping two bills less than its scorned rival, so we'd probably head that way if at all possible. We're calling on you, dear readers -- let us know where the BD-UP5000 is (and isn't). After you snag your own, of course.

[Thanks, Bill M.]
Read - BD-UP5000 at Best Buy
Read - BD-UP5000 at Circuit City

Good news. This time, we won't be burdening you with more talk of delays to Samsung's DB-UP5000 dual format player. On the contrary, a Samsung spokesperson told Dealerscope that the much anticipated HD DVD and Blu-ray player is on target for a "mid-to-late December" launch. Better yet, the price is down from $999 to a more reasonable $799. That is, until you consider the combined cost of a $499 $399 PS3 and sub-$200 HD DVD player.

Paramount's Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1 HD DVD boxed set has finally hit shelves, and we've just got to know if it's worth the price. That price is a heft $194.99 MSRP for the ten disc DVD / HD DVD combo set -- currently selling for around $135 at various online retailers -- and judging by the reviews, that may be its only notable flaw. Every review we've seen gave consistent praise to the audio and video quality of the remastered and retouched high definition transfers. The special features are also praiseworthy with some HD DVD exclusives, although digitallyObsessed notes a few are only available on the SD side. We have to wonder if Paramount might follow 300's lead and release a DVD-less set, but any Trekkies that pick this up can expect the best looking and sounding Star Trek: TOS ever.

Read - digitallyObsessed
Read - IGN
Read - The ManRoom
Read - PS3 Center
Read - High Def Disc News

Regrettably, there's not a lot to go on just yet, but DigiTimes has it that HP will soon be launching "next-generation PCs with a Blu-ray / HD DVD dual-format burner." The announcement was reportedly issued at a product presentation held in Singapore, and while no model numbers were doled out, we can purportedly expect the two-faced machines to land in Europe and America sometime next month. Notably, HP has hemmed and hawed between formats in the past, but we're all for a rig that burns (and reads) both.

[Via TG Daily]

Let's say you absolutely must have high-def movies, and who doesn't, but you also can't decide which format to buy. The obvious choice is to buy LG's combo player - the BH100. That way if one format doesn't pan out, you don't have to post the other one on Craigslist as your player supports both formats. However, said combo player actually cost more than buying a player from both HD DVD and Blu-ray. (Sony BDP-S300 + Toshiba HD-A2 = $899) Thankfully, LG is trying to keep up with the times and they dropped the MSRP of its player to $999 from $1199. The price is still technically higher than buying one of each but then retailers can slap their sale prices on 'em and get that price down to where it needs to be.

Currently, there's just not a whole lot of options when you're scouting a pre-fabricated rig that does both HD DVD and Blu-ray on a single optical drive, but adding one more to mix certainly helps. Enter Inteset, which has just announced that an HD DVD / Blu-ray combo drive will be an option in the firm's Maximus and Denzel media server systems. The machines will reportedly come loaded with CyberLink's PowerDVD Ultra software, support 7.1-channel surround sound, and sport an array of ports including audio in / out, DVI / VGA / component / S-Video, USB, FireWire, and antenna inputs for the TV tuners. 'Course, since the company recommends that you "contact a dealer for pricing," you should assume that this here HTPC won't run you cheap.

Okoro Media Systems has been Blu-ray savvy for some time now, but apparently it's looking to bring the peace with a dual-format combo drive in its BX series of HTPCs. The BX100 resides in a fairly slim 4.13-inch tall enclosure and includes an Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, 350-watt power supply, optional seven-inch touchscreen, your choice of operating system and media center software, 500GB of hard drive space, NVIDIA's 256MB 8500 GT graphics card, a total of three TV tuners, and a smorgasbord of ports including PS/2, FireWire, serial, optical / coaxial digital audio outputs, two DVI ports, VGA, component, S-Video, composite, Ethernet, and four USB 2.0 connectors. The beefier BX300 steps up to a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 CPU, 1TB of storage spanning two 500GB drives, NVIDIA's 256MB GeForce 8600 GTS graphics card, and a 7.1-channel sound card. Both systems look to be available as we speak with a built-in HD DVD / Blu-ray combo drive, and while the BX100 can be yours for $2,995, the base BX300 will run you an extra $600.

[Via PCJoint]